ESSENTIAL QUESTION:
WHAT SIMILAR CHARACTERISTICS DID
THE MAYANS, INCANS, AND AZTECS
POSSESS, AND WHY DID THEIR
CIVILIZATIONS FAIL?

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Pre-Columbian – before the arrival of
Christopher Columbus
Art highly advanced
Gender roles established at birth
Women held various roles including harvesting grain, preparing food or tending animals as well as home and children

 Earliest civilizations in the region were the
Olmecs and Toltecs who were replaced by the
Maya
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Mayan territory stretched from Southern
Mexico to Northern Central America
City- States included Tikal, Copan and
Chichen Itza; and were ruled by different godkings

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Most were peasant farmers , but a small class of skilled craftsmen emerged
Nobles were from a small hereditary class
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Cities were the center of trade and religious ceremonies and included large palaces, temples and pyramids
City-states were linked through trade, trading maize, beans and squash

Mayan Empire- Yucatan Peninsula

Chichen Itza Pyramid

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Polytheistic
Religious practices included human sacrifice
Calendars- 260 day religious calendar and a
365 day solar calendar made by observations of astronomers
Glyphs- 800 symbols for writing
Popol Vuh- Mayans creation story

Mayan Glyphs

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800’s- Mayan cities were abandoned
Evidence now points to environmental factors caused by a prolonged drought causing a disruption of trade and agriculture

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Aztec Empire was located in Central Mexico
125,000 people
Pyramid of the Sun at center of the city
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Crops were grown on floating gardens in wet marshy lands (Chinampas)
Aztecs aligned their temples based on their astronomical observations of the sun and moon

Mexican Flag

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Class System
Nobles ( warriors, priests, government officials)
Commoners (Merchants, artisans, soldiers, farmers) \Slaves (captives)
Trade brings wealth to the Aztecs
Tenochtitlan- located on an island
 1500 was larger than any European capital
 raised roads connected the city to the mainland

Tenochtitlan

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Polytheistic
Centered around public ceremonies
Human sacrifices were made to ensure that the universe would stay in motion
 Sacrifices to the Sun god ensured the sun would rise each day
Sacrifice also encouraged war
Goal of an Aztec warrior was to bring back live prisoners for sacrificial purposes

Aztec Religious Human
Sacrifice

 Montezuma II called for more tributes and human sacrifices from provinces led to rebellion
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Montezuma II reduced the number of government officials
Weakened by civil war the Aztecs were not able to defend themselves from the Spanish

 Began as a small kingdom in the Valley of
Cuzco in South America
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Incan leaders were believed to be descendants from the sun god
Only people from the 11 noble families could be king
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Worshipped dead rulers who where preserved as mummies
King Pachacuti- Used military conquest to conquer west coast of South America

Incan Empire

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Empire divided for easy management
Standard economic system
Uniformed speaking language (no written language)
Schools
Road system
Mita- labor tribute to Incan leaders
 Citizens worked certain days of the year
Government controlled all economic activity
Land was organized in geographic regions
 Each producing a different good

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 Polytheistic
 focused on key nature spirits
Sacrifice of llamas, humans and goods
Temple of the Sun in Cuzco decorated in gold

Temple of the Sun

 Early 1500’s
 height of Incan power
 King Huayna Capac dies of disease
 Civil war breaks out between his sons at the same time the Spanish arrive